Our first encounter with large breeds

[wiggi]

I was just wondering how everyone encountered their first large breed. I fell in love with newfies when i watched a programme about them on tv but i wasn't ready for the sheer size of them when i went to visit a breeder. She lived on a farm and her newfies were all living in a large barn joined onto the house. I leant against a gate and felt something ruffle my hair when i turned around there was the biggest head i had ever seen. The head turned out to be that of a 2yr old female newfie and ever since then i've been hooked. I remember my boyfriend saying 'and where the h*ll are you going to keep one of those'. Well the answer to that would be the sofa of course hahaha.

[PennyK]

My first memories of any dog are those of Buck, the neighbour's Rough coat Saint.  They used to babysit me, and Buck and I were constant companions and did everything together (though, in hindsite, maybe he was just around for the icecream and candy? LOL!).  Buck is the reason I HAD to have a saint.....and I haven't been dissapointed!

[angelsmama]

i was about 6 and a stray dalmatian/greyhound mix adopted us

[Newly Newfed]

Interesting topic...

As far back as I could remember during my childhood, I was surrounded by Siberian Huskies and Saint Bernards.  Try watching Cujo with a Saint Bernard laying at your feet!  LOL!!  I remember I would walk home from the bus stop with a Saint Bernard who was taller than me.  My mother started breeding and showing her Huskies, and I was introduced to dog shows from about 6 years old.  I got to know many different breeds, but the big paws have alwys been the most beautiful to me.

[Saint Pyr]

I was never allowed a dog when I was growing up but our neighbour May had a older german shepard that would come over and "babysit" me when my mum and May went out.  General was the sweetest old guy.  He would curl up on the floor with me and we would cuddle and watch TV.  He was such a sponge; that is thou until someone came to the door and then he was all business.  He was my protector  .  Have loved the bigger breeds since then.   

[Ouch]

I love dogs .. any dog any size any color any coat.  I'm an avid Dog Show watcher and fell in love with the Newfoundlands and Vizla and Irish Wolfhounds many years ago, but I knew I'd never be able to afford them.  Eight years ago I married (I never thought I'd do that again either after being divorced for 23 yrs)  My child escaped the pen after college and I retired and I had money again (note-the child even got a job after college  ) .. this Newf needed me and Cop and Em got a monster friend they still aren't too sure about (it's been a bad day for doggy confontations around here today) OUCH

[happiday]

I fell in love with big paws after meeting several that my friends had (can't remember what the breeds were now) and especially St. Bernards!  I collected calendars with St. pics, anything I could find!  When I was in Jr. High, my parents let me rehome a 1-year-old Saint girl I'd found in the paper, who only had concrete in her backyard, and the family wouldn't let her in the house.  Her name was Penelope; I called her Penny.  She still wasn't allowed in our house, but our yard was green and had lots of trees, and Penny and I would lay out in the grass for hours.  Due to circumstances beyond my control (we moved, I was 13 at the time) I wasn't able to keep her.  That was 30 years ago, and I've loved the breed ever since.  I have finally found and rescued my 'baby', Annie, who is my joy!  I'd love to have a whole crew of Saints.

[bigdogs@5501]

Dogs have always been an important part of my life. Growing up wasnt the easiest in my household due to parental mismatching, so the dog was the comforter in tough times. But it was always little dogs. In High School a really large male Pyr found me, just walked up the street and came and said hello. So I took him home. And I got in trouble. Then he got loose and of course got picked up by the pound, there was an old guy who owned the local service station that agreed to go and bail him out for me, unfortunately he was a traveler and left again. I swore if I ever bought property I would have a Pyr. It took me over 30 years before that became a reality. Before we bought the house and the land, about 50 pounds was the limit. But I have always loved the big dogs and the bigger the better. Now I am blessed many times over. Also the bigs are not yappy, thats a big plus.

[ZooCrew]

Hmmmm......... ..don't really remember my first meeting with a large breed.  Our neighbor had a black lab when I was real little.  Kept outside in a kennel.  Pretty much the only thing I remember from him is that his kennel stunk all the time.  My granparents always had a farm dog.  They had Chuckie, a shepherd mix when I was young and me and my siblings love him and he loved us.  In fact, my sister's fist complete sentence was "Chuckie got runned over"......unfortun ately he met a bitter end.  Next they had Lurtz....a husky or collie/shep mix.  He was a nice looking dog, but not as people friendly more aloof.

When we moved, one of our neighbors had an irish setter.  But that was the biggest dog around.  I actually used to prefer the small breeds, I loved terriers and the scottish terrier and cocker spaniels were my fav breeds.  I still love terriers, but they are more of a handful than I care for so don't know if I'll ever have many of them.........l ol.  

I don't know when I fell in love with giant breed dogs.  I've always loved dog shows and watch one whenever I know one is on.  I've been fasinated with the great dane (and other giant breeds) for quite some time, but have always been told by family and friends that "those dogs are just too big.........wh ere would they go?".  I saw few in person and usually from quite far away.  But when I moved to CA, they were alot more popular out there and became fast friends with a lady who had one (and now 2).  So when I started looking into getting another dog........the y were first on my list.  And I haven't looked back since.

[Ali]

Good question, although my answer seems lame. I have no idea. I guess I prefer BP's by default. I really really really do not care for small dogs at all. I like big galumphy goofy DOGS. I guess that's just what the definition of dog is to me. I can easily walk right past a small dog without a second look, but the big ones I gotta say Hi to!!

[lorim2]

I have always had labs and then one day my daughter piped up that she just had to have an Old English Mastiff.  She researched for like 8 mos and checked rescues and breeders and then one day out of the blue we found a breeder like 30 miles from us.  After checking it all out we went to see the litter and feel in love instantly with Marley.  We picked him up at 8wks old(but went to visit every weekend until we could take him home...one advantage of being close) and weighing 22 lbs and I have been in love from day one...He is wonderful and such a sweetheart!  Seriously though, I love them all...big, small ugly cute it doesnt matter to me at all...I also love my snakes, lizards and birds too and of course our little Bindi!!

[Duramax]

mine is a sad story and a 'kinda makes me mad' story. it was about 2 years ago...well realy ive thought danes were beautifull all my life. but 2 years ago our lab dissappeared and a terrible snowstorm hit and we were in a white out for three days. we never saw him again. you all now how sad it is to go from a house with a dog to no dog at all...it was afoul..did i spell that right??...anyway i waited and hoped he'd show up for weeks but of course it didnt happen. called police and shelter with no luck. i still havent given up i always look by the sides of the road out by our old house when im down there still....point less but i cant help it.
   one day Jeff, Ashton ( our little girl) and i were in a neighboring town shopping and of course i had to stop at the local shelter. i went in and there was a beautifull boston dane baby boy only nine months old family had 7 kids and lived in a trailer house and decided they didnt have enough room. so i applied for adoption for him after we visited him in the visiting room. he was so sweet he loved cuddling his head with Ashton. The lady at the desk i could tell didnt want to adopt him out to us... and i can understand picture my family....asht on was 1 year old. i at the time was barely 20 maybe? jeff 23. realy young and we were renting at the time. she was very curt with us. and told us to think it over that night and come back the next day with signed approval to have a dog in our house from the land lord. so ......this is notty I know. I called Jeffs brother who is much older than jeff is and asked him to adopt the dane for us since they owned their house. he agreed and went straight down there. keep in mind this shelter is NOT the best shelter...ther e's worse...but it's definatly lacking. so Jeffs brother was walking up the steps and opens the door to the shelter and out strolls a man with our dane...... and he was gone. I was heartbroken   hubby said that we could still get a dane if we could find one. so i looked on the internet ( I did not know about rock mountain great dane rescue  untill after i got Max)and found a picture of max and fell in love with him and we drove the sixteen hour round trip to pick him up and ive been in love ever since.... i cannot imagine my household with out a great huge lovie in it now. it just wouldnt seem like home to us.

[wiggi]

I love hearing the stories of how big paws stole our hearts